Spring for ironing pads



Nov. 19, 1935. c. E. HAMILTON, SR

SPRING FOR IRONING PADS Filed Feb. 27, 1934 INVENTOR (M265 Mal/Zia f/kzzzzifwz 6'1? ATTORNEY #1,054,407 granted Patented Nov. 19, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

assignor, by

direct and mesne assignments, of

fifty-five one-hundredths to Henry R. Hering,

South Orange, N. J.

Application February 27, 1934, Serial No. 713,099

1 Claim.

The invention relates to pads for ironing machines, more particularly to pads composed of adjacently disposed helical springs, for example, such as are set forth in U. S. Letters Patent to me February 25, 1913. In the pad disclosed in this patent, the outer ends of the respective helically coiled springs are indi vidually capped to afford a substantial support for the overlying fabric covering or soft padding material.

It has also been proposed to dispense with the use of these caps, for example, in U. S. Letters Patent #1,4.-66,363 granted to me August 28, 1923, a pad construction is set forth which involves the provision of spring elements rigidly secured at the one end to a base plate but having the opposite end free and adapted directly to support the padding. The outermost convolution of this free end of a spring is for this purpose constructed to be of lesser diameter than the body of the coil in order to provide a suificiently closed surface at the top for supporting the covering.

I have found, howeventhat while this tapering-off construction admits of dispensing with the cap for a spring, it possesses certain inherent objections which it is the object of the present invention to overcome. For example, in view of the reduced diameter of such outermost convolution, it becomes appreciably more rigid than the remaining convolutions composing the body of the spring and thus will not yield independently thereof. Furthermore, in view of this relatively stiff portion of the spring, the ends of thevarious springs composing the resilient pad increase greatly the Wear and tear on the overlying fabric.

An object of the invention, therefore, is to provide a spring pad involving spring elements which are so constructed as not only to admit of dispensing with the caps heretofore employed over the outer ends of the springs, but to afford an increased or extended supporting surface by the outermost ends of the springs for a given diameter of coil body and beyond that ordinarily provided by such cap; also, to reduce the wear and tear of the free spring ends upon the overlying fabric padding and thereby prolong its usefulness.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of springs for the pad whose outermost convolution is of lesser resiliency than the body of the spring so that the initial resistance offered by a spring as a whole is reduced until the spring is fully brought into action.

In carrying out the invention, a helically coiled spring such as is set forth in my aforesaid Letters :31:

Patent #1,054,407 is constructed with its outermost convolution of substantially larger diameter than .the convolutions constituting the body of the spring, said convolution forming preferably a complete turn and lying normally in a plane above the next-succeeding convolution of the coiled spring and adapted to receive and directly support the pad or fabric covering. This outermost convolution will therefore yield initially independently of the body of the spring until its plane coincides substantially with that of the next-succeeding convolution thereof. Since it is also of a greater diameter than the diameter of the remaining convolutions of the spring, it will cause the spring initially to offer a reducedresistance and until said outermost convolution has attained a position in the plane of the next-succeeding convolution, the arrangement being such that there will be no contact between the two 0 said convolutions. Thereby not only will the bearing surface afforded by an individual spring be substantially increased but, due to the more flexible outer convolution as a result of its increased diameter and leverage, the wear and tear on the overlying fabric covering will be very materially reduced.

The nature of the invention, however, will best be understood when described in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of an ironing pad, with portion of the cloth covering broken away to disclose the novel spring padding as applied, for example, to a form for ironing shirts.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sec- 35 tion and part elevation illustrating a portion of a pad with the novel spring and its support.

Fig. 3 is a similar view illustrating the action of the spring during ironing.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan of a spring mount- 40 ed upon its supporting base plate.

Referring to the drawing, the pad may be of various shapes, for example, of the type adapted for ironing shirts, as indicated in Fig. l of the drawing. The outer fabric padding or covering l0 thereof adapted to receive the material to be ironed is arranged to be supported, as in the aforesaid Patent #1,054,407, by a plurality of adjacently disposed helically coiled spring elements which, in turn, are carried by a base or carry- 50 ing plate I I supported upon the bed plate of the ironing machine l2.

The body of each spring is composed of a succession of convolutions I3 of equal diameter, the

lowermost one of which is arranged to be suit- 55 V ably attached to the base plate H and may or may not be of the same diameter as the said convolutions. For example, it may be secured by fitting over a stud I4 carried by the base plate and as is more particularly set forth in U. S. Patent #1,931,538 and 1,931,539 granted to me October 24, 1933.

At its outermost end, the spring terminates in the convolution I5 of a diameter substantially larger than that of the convolution l3, said convolution l5 being substantially coaxial with the convolutions l3 but displaced normally upwardly from the plane of the next-succeeding convolution of the body portion.

It is preferable, also, to make this convolution l5 of a complete turn; and it will be understood that, due to its increased diameter, a greater leverage is afforded so that not only will the convolution afford a more extended bearing surface for the padding but, because of its reduced stiffness, the Wear and tear on the covering will be materially lessened.

When pressure is applied to the padding H1 in ironing, the first effect is to depress the convolution I5 which exerts a lesser resistance than the body portion of the spring and constituted by the convolutions l3; and not until the convolution l5 lies substantially within the plane of the nextsucceeding convolution of the body portion will the full effect of the spring resistance be had. This not only will secure a more rapid and more ready location of the irregular portions of the 5 work being ironed, but avoids the necessity of providing a foraminous metal covering for the free springs ends to bridge the caps between their centers, as well as minimizing wear and tear of such free ends upon the covering material. I claim: In an ironing pad support of the character de.. scribed: a base plate, helically coiled springs attached thereto at one end and at the opposite end terminating in a convolution of substantially greater diameter than the preceding convolution and adapted to receive and directly support the pad and when pressure is applied thereto to yield initially independently of the remaining body convolutions of the spring which are all substantially of the same diameter and assume a position about said preceding convolution to lie in the plane thereof and afford thereby an extended surface for the pad and reduce Wear and tear thereon.

CHARLES EDWIN HAMILTON, SR. 

